A remote twisty road winds its way through the green hills as rain approaches.Located in the North Caucasus, bordering the Caspian Sea and a Republic of Russia, Dagestan is home to almost 3 million mostly muslim people. Ethnically very diverse, it is made up of several dozen ethnic groups and is Russia's most heterogeneous republic, where no ethnicity forms a majority.From 2000 until late 2012 Dagestan was subject to a violent Islamic separatist movement that spilled over from neighbouring Chechnya but has now been largely controlled by the Russian Government.Now relatively peaceful Dagestan (which means Land of Mountains) remains one of Russia's untouched treasures receiving few visitors. Due to its relative isolation, this beautiful mountainous region has maintained its traditional cultures that have been lost in many other parts of Russia.

The large Mae Moh coal burning power plant releasing smoke from its stacks at dawn. The power plant turns off most of its the smoke in the daytime then starts again at night.Mae Moh was Thailand's first and largest coal-powered plant. It is also located next to Thailand's only source of coal, a vast open surface mine. For years the local villagers have complained that the power-plant is causing all kinds of health issues but these claims are largely ignored by the owner of the plant.